Electrolytic apparatus



(H0 Madel.)

a. w. PIELDING & L. B. WALKER. ELEGTROLYTIG APPARATUS.

No; 566,673. Patented Aug. 25, 1896.

A TTOHNEIS.

UNITED STATES PATENT Oiwrcn.

CHARLES TV. FIELDING, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AND LOUIS B. WALKER, OFELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTROLYTlC APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 566,673, dated August25, 1896.

Application filed May 11, 1896.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES XV. FIELD- ING, of London, England, andLOUIS B. \VALKER, of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Electrolytic Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in electrolytic apparatus, andthe object is to facilitate the separation of precious metals from basemetals or materials, and also to separate from metals generally suchforeign metals or materials as may be incorporated with them.

"We will describe an apparatus embodying our invention, and then pointout the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying our invention. Fig. 2is a sectional elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof an anode and cathode employed.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an electrolytic tank of anysuitable material, such, for instance, as wood. B indicates the anodes,and B the cathodes. These anodes and cathodes are supported verticallyin the tank A with their lower ends resting on strips of glass or othernon-conducting material a, secured within the tank at the lower portionof the opposite side walls. These strips serve to support the anodes andcathodes sufficiently above the bottom of the tank to prevent bridgingor short-circuiting through byproducts that may fall to the bottom ofthe tank.

The anodes B may be made of either cast or rolled metal and of anydesired thickness, but preferably they will be made of cast metal, forthe sake of economy, and as thin as possible.

The cathodes B may be made of any desired metal or material which is agood conductor 0" electricity, either similar to or different from theanodes, but preferably of a diiferent mate- $eria1No. 591,054. (Nomodel.)

rial. Each cathode is placed in close contact with an anode, so that noelectrolyte in the tank can pass between them. The plates may be securedtogether by any suitable means, such, for instance, as by clamps. Wefind, however, that it is better to first make the cathode in the formof a paste and spread it over the face of the anode, where it is allowedto dry and harden before being used.

Vithout regard to the means for securing an anode and cathode together,it is to be understood that there is to be no insulationbetween them.

As a means for separating and supporting the plates vertically in thetank, we employ spherical blocks a a of non-conducting substance, such,for instance, as fictile material. These blocks are arranged to bear atone side against an anode and at the other side against an adjacentcathode, the blocks a being at the upper portion and near the ends ofthe plates and the blocks a at the lower portion and near the ends ofthe plates.

The upper blocks a at each end of the plates are connected in pairs by acord or similar flexible connection a and are suspended over alternateplates, and the lower blocks a are suspended by cords or other flexibleconnections from the upper blocks.

It is to be understood that the parts 0, a may consist of a single cordwith the four blocks strung upon it.

The object in employing spherical blocks instead of square or angularblocks is because they oppose less bearing-surface to the plates andthus cause less unfinished product that would have to be again treated.It is to be understood, however, that we do not confine our invention tospherical ball or blocks, as it is obvious that they may be of any othershape, suclnfor instance,as rectan gular,without departing from thespirit of our invention.

The initial anode B is a single plate of the material to be refined, andthe terminal cathode B is a single plate of the finished product.

In refining copper or other material one pole of an electric source,here indicated as a dynamo A, has a connection .2 with the ini- -tialanode 13 and the other pole of the electric source has a connection 1with the terminal cathode B so that the current will pass through thewhole series of anodes and cathodes and the electrolyte within the tank.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In an electrolytic apparatus, thecombination with anodes and cathodes, of separating and supportingblocks of insulating material suspended between plates at points betweentheir ends, substantially as specified.

2. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with anode and cathodeplates, of separating and supporting blocks of non-conducting materialsuspended from the plates,

substantially as specified.

3. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with anode and cathodeplates, of separating and supporting blocks of insulating materialhaving cords or flexible connections as a support, substantially asspecified.

4. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with anode and cathodeplates, 01": separating and supporting blocks of insulating material,and a flexible connection between 1 specified.

GHARLESW. FIELDING. LOUIS B. WALKER.

Witnesses to the signature of Charles V.

Fielding:

W. O. FALLON, T. G. WATERS.

Witnesses to the signature of Louis B. Valker:

THos. P. SHERIDAN, W. P. LAVERTY.

